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  • Why You Should Visit The Isle Of Wight
  • Ferry travel advice & discounts
    • Discount Isle of Wight Ferry Travel
    • Isle Of Wight Ferry Beginners Guide
    • Wightlink's Tesco Clubcard deal – is it the best discount?
    • Using Wightlink’s Multilink deal for cheap ferry travel
    • Cheap Isle of Wight Ferry Travel For Caravans
  • Holiday parks, hotels, camping & cottages
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      • 10 Of The Best Isle of Wight Caravan Holiday Parks
      • Park Resorts And Parkdean Resorts Isle of Wight Holiday Parks
      • Which Isle Of Wight Holiday Park Should I Stay In?
      • Last Minute Deals And Discounts At Holiday Parks
      • Is There A Haven Holiday Park On The Isle Of Wight?
      • Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park Reviews and Facilities
      • Lower Hyde And Landguard Holiday Park Teview
      • 6 Tricks To Save Money At Isle Of Wight Caravan Holiday Parks
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      • Isle of Wight Hotels - a beginner's guide
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      • Warner's Bembridge Coast & Norton Grange hotels
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      • Isle of Wight Hotels With A Sea View
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      • Isle of Wight Glamping
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      • Major Festivals And Carnivals
      • Isle of Wight Festival 2022 Lineup And Tickets
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      • Discounts To Isle Of Wight Attractions
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      • Activities For Toddlers On The Isle Of Wight
      • Activities For Children And Families On The Isle Of Wight
      • Activities For Teenagers On The Isle Of Wight
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      • Activities For An Isle Of Wight Stag Do
      • Surviving An Isle Of Wight Holiday With A Toddler
    • Quirky days out >
      • 10 Quirky Days Out On The Isle Of Wight
      • 10 Things You Can't Do On The Isle Of Wight
      • 10 Things You Can Only Visit On The Isle Of Wight
      • Isle Of Wight TV & Movie Tour
      • 10 Reasons To Visit The Isle Of Wight
    • Days out in Ryde, Sandown, Shanklin, Ventnor >
      • 10 Things To Do In Bembridge, St Helen's and Seaview
      • 10 Things To Do In Cowes And East Cowes
      • 10 Things To Do In Newport and Carisbrooke
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    • Rainy day & winter attractions >
      • Rainy Day Activities On The Isle Of Wight
      • Itinerary For A Rainy Isle Of Wight Holiday
      • Winter Days Out On The Isle Of Wight
    • Zoos, historic attractions, gardens >
      • Isle of Wight Zoos And Animal Attractions
      • Historic Attractions On The Isle Of Wight
      • 10 Isle of Wight Gardens And Parks
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      • Day Trips From Portsmouth To The Isle of Wight
      • Day Trips From Southampton To The Isle of Wight
      • Day Trips From Lymington To The Isle of Wight
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      • 5 Isle Of Wight Car Journey Games
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      • The Isle Spy Car Journey Game
  • Beaches, tides, watersports & weather
    • Which Is The Best Isle Of Wight Beach For...
    • Isle of Wight Beaches Interactive Map
    • Isle Of Wight Tide Times
    • Isle of Wight Weather Forecast
    • Isle Of Wight Surf Forecast
    • Isle of Wight Watersports
    • The Beach Holiday Checklist - 5 Accessories
    • Mobile Version Of Isle Of Wight Best Beaches
  • Walking, cycling & public transport
    • Walking >
      • Walking The Isle of Wight Coastal Path
      • 10 Best Isle of Wight Walks (Circular, 3-9 miles)
      • 10 Isle of Wight Short Walks For Children (1 Mile)
      • Isle of Wight Themed Walks
      • Isle of Wight Treasure Trails and Treasure Hunts
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10 Isle Of Wight Gardens And Parks (2022 Guide)

Now that I've got my own garden I rather wish I'd paid more attention when my father was trying to teach me the difference between a clematis and a chrysanthemum.

My knowledge is pretty basic, but I can still admire a colourful peony or a neatly trimmed bush (you can write your own gags for this one).

Here are 10 Isle of Wight gardens and parks worth a visit:

1. Ventnor Park (free)

Ventnor Park is free, so it's certainly worth a quick visit if you are passing. Besides the flowers, there are palm trees and the bandstand which once stood on Ventnor Pier. Towards the cliff at the edge of the park you'll find an outdoor gym so you can beef up and then enjoy a pleasant stroll along the cliff path whilst dreaming about how awesome you would look at a Mr Universe competition covered in baby oil.

Read our blog about Ventnor Park
Flowers at Ventnor Park
Ventnor Park in, er, Ventnor

2. Rylstone Gardens, Shanklin (free)

Council-run Rylstone Gardens is one of the nicest public parks on the Island. On a summer's day you can listen to brass bands parping away whilst golf balls plop into holes at the park's minigolf course (fun fact: the minigolf course starred in a David Essex/Ringo Starr film called 'That'll Be The Day')

​There's also a café. I would tell you about the different varieties of plant but I was too busy stuffing my face with lemon drizzle cake and lattes. 
​

Read our blog about Rylstone Gardens. Big Mead is also in Shanklin, but it's a more standard green space with a playground and duck pond.
Rylstone Gardens in Shanklin
Setting up the deckchairs for a brass band in Rylstone Gardens

3. Ventnor Botanic Garden

You won't read an article about Ventnor Botanic Garden without the phrase 'unique microclimate'. It's the sort of place that features on Countryfile with grinning presenters hugging a palm tree and saying things like "you probably think I'm in the Mediterranean - well, you're wrong!".

The general idea is that the site is sheltered and sunny enough to be able to grow lots of plants which wouldn't survive in the rest of the UK. 

​There's also a nice restaurant with a balcony. Check out the 
video of the woman walking through a pond with a sieve. Hopefully she didn't borrow it from the kitchen.

There's also a 350 foot tunnel which links the gardens with the coast. The website warns that you should keep away or you'll face instant death from above, but there are guided tours if you fancy it.

It costs about £5-£10 to visit.

4. Mottistone Manor Gardens (free to National Trust Members)

Mottistone Manor is closed to the public but the gardens are looked after by the National Trust and are open most days (though not every day). The gardens and veg patches are as immaculate and well organised as a Sergeant Major's sock drawer so there's a risk you will come away feeling guilty that your lawn is covered in weeds. There's a flowerpot trail thingy for children, which kept ours entertained for an hour.

​​Benedict Cumberbatch was married in the church over the road and his in-laws hosted the reception in the Manor House. Please avoid trying to peek into the kitchen whilst pretending you are looking at the plants. 
Mottistone Gardens
Please do not steal the flowers

5. Osborne House (free to English Heritage members)

Osborne House - or 'The Queen Vic' as it isn't known by locals - has suitably splendid gardens. There are trees planted by Prince Albert although I suspect he had some help and just did the easy bit at the end where you squash the soil. There's also a walled garden with fruit trees and terrace gardens.

There's a useful guide to the different seasons at Osborne on the English Heritage website, which is worth a read if your main reason for visiting is the gardens. There's a section called 'historic fruit and vegetables' which also describes the contents of my fridge when I was a student.
Flowers at Osborne House
The Swiss Cottage has vegetable patches for the royal children

6. Carisbrooke Castle (Princess Beatrice Gardens) (free to English Heritage members)

If you fancy a nice free walk with views over Carisbrooke and Bowcombe then you can wander round the dry moat at Carisbrooke Castle. Inside the Castle is the Princess Beatrice garden which opened in 2009. It's not huge, but it's certainly worth visiting if you are looking round the Castle anyway or if you have English Heritage membership. 
Carisbrooke Castle gatehouse
The entrance to Carisbrooke Castle

7. Carisbrooke Priory (free)

Carisbrooke Priory's gardens are not especially la-di-da or full of exotic plants but they are free and historic. The Priory was a nunnery until the early 90s when a group of Christians (including my father) turned it into an open door which welcomes visitors of any faith, or none. There are fruit trees in the large garden, a courtyard garden and a side garden which was overgrown and hidden for several years. The gardens also house a small graveyard for the nuns who lived on site. The house is worth a nosey too.
Carisbrooke Priory
I visited Carisbrooke Priory's gardens but I was nun the wiser. Ha!

8. Robin Hill 

A few years ago Robin Hill started investing in its gardens, including a big Japanese themed section in the woods. It is mostly aimed at families with lots of children's playgrounds and the like so perhaps not worth the full entrance cost just to see the plants and woods.

However, if you are accompanying younger visitors then it is a far more pleasant experience than one of those theme parks which is just a series of giant warehouses with flashing rides. 
​

​It costs about £20.
Robin Hill tree sculpture
Robin Hill's gardens include the world's largest tree sculpture. Well why not?

9. Nunwell House and Gardens

Nunwell House is only open a couple of days of week and is closed in winter, so check the website before turning up with a coachload of eager horticulturalists or you might have a mutiny on your hands.

It's a 16th century privately owned house with five acres of land, 'including an 18th century walled garden, lavender steps and mature borders.'

It costs about £5-£8

10. Appuldurcombe House, South Wight (free)

Appuldurcombe House, nearish to Ventnor, is looked after by English Heritage, with gardens designed by 'Capability' Brown. It looks rather grand from the outside, but inside it is a ruin. I mean that in a literal sense, rather than meaning it's a bit tatty.

​At the time of writing it is free to visit. We greatly enjoyed our wander round the ruins with the children.
Appuldurcombe House from outside
Is it me, or did 'Capability' Brown design every stately home's garden?

11. Ever Garden, Brighstone

Ever Garden opened in 2021 in the West Wight village of Brighstone. It's an 18th century cottage with a garden full of sculptures and plants. 

It's certainly not on the scale as the National Trust's Mottistone Manor or English Heritage's Osborne House, but it has an 'eclectic mix of art and artefacts'. I've not been yet but early reviews are very positive.

12. Farringford, Freshwater

Farringford is an excellent choice for poetry types, who can recite lines from Tennyson whilst wandering around his former gardens.

The most relevant is a Tennyson poem 'To The Rev F.D. Maurice' which refers to the Isle of Wight and says:

Where, far from noise and smoke of town,
I watch the twilight falling brown
All round a careless-ordered garden
Close to the ridge of a noble down.


You pay about £4 to see the careless-ordered gardens, or you can get a bundle which includes a tour of the house as well. There's a walled garden and a woodland area which has a half mile walk.
Farringford gardens on the Isle of Wight
If you enjoy a poetic rhyme then Farringford's gardens is worth your time

The-Isle-of-Wight-Guru-Don't-Blame-Us-Disclaimer™ All the information on this website is correct, as far as we know, but please do check details directly - and please contact us if you find anything inaccurate. Here's our full disclaimer.

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